If you’re in a spring-tidy spirit like me (or just love lavender!) this embroidered lavender pillow is a cute evening’s project and perfect for beginners. 
We had lunch today at the Old Ferry Inn. The Ferry sits on the end of Chepstow’s little peninsula, hidden underneath the shadow of the Severn Bridge. It’s romantic and rustic, with mismatched vintage chairs and a sea-side feel.
These pretty picks are full of yummy spring tones and each one is handmade in the UK.
1. Spring Pastel Mimi crochet flower garland from Emma Lamb
2. Spring Rose love cushion from Kirsten Lomakin
Have you heard of Pinterest? … Well, really, who hasn’t?
Pinterest is a big reason this blog happened, but the inspiration wasn’t in the form you might expect. Pinterest didn’t inspire me to craft. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
If you’re a crafter and use Pinterest you probably know what I mean. Bombarded with hundreds of brilliant craft ideas, tutorials, patterns, blogs, and even shops, it’s a wonder any of us get anything done. ‘Pin now, read later’ is a common comment on the pins.
… Are you really going to read it later?
How many of us actually click through to the link before we repin something? Has anyone else noticed how so many of the ‘brilliant’ Pins are actually reposted images on spam websites? How many of us have repinned the same thing multiple times without even realising?
(I know I’ve been guilty of that. Whoops.)
But no, no, no – it’s a good thing, of course. Hoarding ideas is a fast way to become brilliant yourself, right?
Yet there you sit, an hour of pinning later, no more productive than you were before. 
Some sketches playing around with the stitches I’ve learnt so far
After getting a couple weeks of experience in embroidery, I think it’s time to share some of the things that have been inspiring me along the way:
For magazine lovers, the gorgeous CrossStitcher mag + blog
I love Bo’s work, from lazydoll, esp. this bunny girl coin purse
The Sublime Stitching blog – ‘this ain’t your gramma’s embroidery’ ;)
